1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable speaker enclosures. More particularly, the present invention relates to portable speakers and devices for mounting those speakers on portable computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The personal computer market has grown rapidly in the past decade. Recent trends have focussed in the improvement of overall sound quality as well as the portability of computers. Laptop computers, i.e., portable computers, over time represent a growing proportion of overall computer sales. To provide a multimedia effect, speakers are commonly incorporated into the bodies of the laptop computer, sometimes as a single sound reproduction unit and sometimes providing two or more sound reproduction units to achieve an overall stereophonic effect. Often, the speakers built into the unit are positioned at a selected spacing to enhance the stereophonic effect. However, the sizes of the laptop computer cavities have decreased as consumers have demanded smaller and lighter portable computers. Hence, the available space for positioning the speakers as well as the size constraints on the speakers themselves has placed greater restrictions on the design of laptop audio systems.
To overcome these constraints, one technique includes providing portable speakers with built in clamps for attaching the speakers to the laptop computer screen. These systems depend heavily on spring loaded grips for attaching the speakers to the laptop monitor. One mounting option places the speaker and clamp combination at the top of the computer's LCD display, resulting in the center of gravity of the speaker including clamp lying significantly above the clamping position at the upper flange of the display unit. Unfortunately, the size of the speaker and clamp combination often results in the center of gravity of the combination lying outside the footprint of the clamp and outside the respective center of gravity of the laptop screen. This known technique thus relies solely on the clamping force to secure the speaker to the display unit, without the benefit of natural stability.
The heavy reliance on clamping force creates reliability problems as well. The spring force impinging on the LCD panel flange is proportional to the extension of the spring by Hooke's law. Used at minimum extension to attach speakers to thin flanged display units, the spring would have to be stiff to provide adequate clamping force. On the other hand, when such a stiffly sprung clamp is used at maximum extension to accommodate thick monitor flanges, the spring force could become excessive, possibly causing damage to the clamp or display unit.
The mechanical instability is aggravated when the laptop display screen is tilted backwards from a vertical plane for viewing. Here, the center of gravity for the speaker/clamp assembly lies outside of the footprint of the laptop. Moreover, the speaker/clamp assembly sets up significant amounts of vibration in the display unit, adding undesirable coloration to the sound. These vibrations may also compromise product reliability. Finally, the clamp mechanism in the known mechanism is external to the speaker, and is inconvenient for the target consumer groups: people who require compact portable speaker solutions on the go.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved portable speaker system that overcomes these problems. In particular, it is desirable to provide a compact portable speaker system that can be easily and securely attached to a wide range of computer display panels.